2018 Montefiorito, Nebbiolo, Monferrato DOC Rosso, Piemonte, Italy.
I was first introduced to Monefiorito last year by my friend and Italian wine expert Giuseppe Cossu, who is also making wine in his homeland of Sardinia, who also is excited about Piemonte’s Grignolino grape, which Montefiorito does, so I was primed to enjoy their 100% Nebbiolo Monferrato Rosso and it didn’t disappoint! The 2018 is nicely evolving and shows off a classic brickish/ruby garnet hue in the glass with pretty rose petal infused aromas lifting from the glass with an opulent close to full bodied palate of dusty cherry, wild plum, brambly raspberry and earthy red currant fruits, along with dried rosemary, licorice, truffle and stony accents. Even at 14.5% natural alcohol, there’s a fine balance here, with a orangey brightness of acidity and a very long finish, making for a delicious, but non prentenous Nebbiolo to enjoy any time. The sloping hillsides and exposures here allow for good ripening of the Nebbiolo and a supple tannic structure, making the Montefiorito Monferrato DOC Rosso an outstanding value, as seen here with this 2018.
Interestingly, it seems this is the premier release of this particular Monferrato DOC Rosso bottling, a blend of various plots, from Montefiorito in the Asti zone of Piemonte, and wow did they do it right and what a lovely effort it is made from vines set on sandy calcareous soils with the presence of Barolo and the aromatics of Barbaresco. This 100% de-stemmed Nebbiolo was carefully sorted and fermented in stainless steel vats on the skins, with a gentle maceration of about 2 weeks before being pressed off to cask. In this case, the winery decided on aging the Monferrato Rosso in large 25HL Austrian Oak for between 8-12 months, after which they further matured it in special 750L amphora(s) for another few months, which has benefited the wine with textural depth, but also exceptional purity. The winery says that the Montefiorito estate is on a hill of sand, all of marine origin, with a house on it, with the road going up and the vineyards, the orchard and the forest all around, with a small lake at the bottom, which sounds like heaven, especially with the excellent wine produced here!
($22 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive